Training and Safety

The Elk River Fire Department is committed to ensuring that emergency responders have access to high-quality, real-world training. Fire, police, medical and other emergency responders are faced with an increasing number of new threats and require the training and education to meet these demands.

In addition to providing regular in-service training within the organization, the Training and Safety Division also hosts regular open-enrollment programs available to other jurisdictions and public/private entities.

Elk River Fire Academy

In 2014, the Elk River Fire Department embarked on a journey to change the way in which we prepare new firefighters. Modeled after other successful academy-style recruit programs, we developed a fire academy program that mentally, physically, and tactically prepares our firefighters for their future in the fire service. This includes traditional NFPA 1001 classroom and hands-on training. The academy is a formal program that focuses heavily on accountability, leadership, and professionalism. To date, we have graduated 26 firefighters from the academy and have achieved a 100% passing rate on certification testing. We have graduated recruits from Albertville Fire, Big Lake Fire, Elk River Fire, Monticello Fire, N.E. Sherburne Fire & Rescue, Osseo Fire, Princeton Fire, and Zimmerman/Livonia Fire District.

Our instructors are experienced fire service professionals. We monitor every recruit closely to ensure they have the help they need to succeed in the program and, more importantly, as future fire service professionals. The goal is to graduate firefighters that will carry forward the tradition of excellence of the fire service.